1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to nursing care and more particularly to an electronic medication dispensing, accounting and record keeping system of patients in a hospital-type facility.
In some hospitals or clinics a serious problem frequently occurs when medication or treatment is performed on the wrong patient. Such problems may arise when the person dispensing or administering prescription drugs or injections or taking fluid samples identifies the patient by writing the patient's name and/or ID number on a slip of paper and for a variety of reasons, such as the transfer of patients to different beds and errors in marking the information on the slip of paper the wrong patient may be given the medication or treatment.
It is common practice for hospitals and other patient care facilities to maintain a patient identification system, usually comprising a temporary bracelet on the patient's arm, which contains his name and/or ID number. Unfortunately many times this identification is not cross referenced by the nurse or technician administering the treatment. In accordance with this invention, a unique identification system is disclosed in which the patient ID number is entered into the system record keeping apparatus in order to obtain doctor prescribed medication or other items necessary for the required treatment of the patient.
This cross check of patient and medication or treatment is recorded and transmitted to a designated central control station.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior patents generally disclose apparatus and systems for patent identification and correlation with doctor's orders and medication administering or laboratory results obtained.
Similarly, other prior patents provide a patient fluid input and output record to insure patient fluid balance.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,112 is an example of a patient identification system in which a coded ID bracelet, applied to the patient upon admission, is later utilized by programmed circuitry to identify and correlate drugs, the quantity thereof and/or treatment being administered to the patient which insures treatment of the proper patient.
This invention is distinctive over the above named patent by providing a nurse actuated mobile station which accompanies the nurse or technician on their rounds and which dispenses drug medication or treatment medication in response to the nurse entering a particular patient's identification data in the mobile station input facility which responds by dispensing doctor prescribed medication or treatment instructions.